NMBI’s Annual Student Midwife Debate took place earlier this month and was held remotely with over 160 people registering for the event.

The debate is organised in conjunction with the six education bodies that provide midwifery education leading to registration with NMBI in Ireland.

The motion for this year’s debate was ‘This house believes that midwifery is still not recognised as a separate and distinct profession in the healthcare community’.

It was a really lively and engaging debate.

The winning team of Anne McInerney, University of Limerick, Jana Horvathova, National University of Ireland Galway and Ramona Greene, National University of Ireland Galway debated in favour of the motion.

They were challenged by Caitlyn Murphy, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Sabine O’Connell, University College Dublin and Nicole Maher, University College Cork who debated against the motion.

The prize for best speaker was shared by Anna McInerney from University of Limerick and Caitlyn Murphy from Dundalk Institute of Technology.

This year’s judging panel included Joseph Shalbin, NMBI Board member and Member of the Midwives Committee at NMBI (Nurse), Angela Dunne, Director of Midwifery Women’s and Infants Health Programme at the HSE, and Kathyann Barrett, Head of Operations at NMBI and service user.

In making their final decision, the judges said they were “very impressed with the quality of the debating and the content”.

The judges added: “All of the speakers were a credit to their team and their HEIs. They showed conviction and passion, and the online nature of the debate took nothing from the passion”.

Guest speakers included Essene Cassidy, NMBI President; Margaret Quigley, National Lead for Midwifery Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director (ONMSD) HSE and Sheila McClelland, NMBI CEO.

Attendees also heard an inspirational presentation from Grace Thomas, Reader in Midwifery at Cardiff University, Lead Midwife for Education and Professional Head and Deputy Director of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Midwifery Development. The presentation, ‘You are the future, you lead the way’ focused on the importance of midwifery and midwifery education and considerations for future midwives and future midwifery leadership in Ireland.

NMBI would like to thank both debating teams, their education bodies, the judges and the speakers for their support at this year’s event. A special word of thanks also to Dawn Johnston, Director of Midwifery at NMBI for her work in organising the debate and moderating on the day.

You can watch the debate in full here.